After Getting Pregnant, I’m Divorcing My Alpha - Chapter 15

The previously quiet dining table was suddenly disrupted by a sharp clatter of cutlery against a plate.

Cheng Youyi, who had been looking at cat photos sent by the household staff, raised his head in slight surprise. “What’s wrong?”

Shen Xiao’s phone screen displayed his chat with his assistant, Liu Qing, who was promptly reporting everything related to An Xiangdi.

Liu Qing: Boss, Royal Pictures has arranged for Teacher An to star in Qiu Cheng’s film. Fans are fighting with Royal Pictures over billing order, and it’s already trending.

Liu Qing: [Link]

Liu Qing: [Link]

The links Liu Qing sent provided a clear overview of the situation, but the underlying details were certainly more complicated than they appeared.

Not receiving a response, Cheng Youyi closed the cat photos. “Brother Shen, your face is so dark I thought you were about to take my life.”

“One day.”

“Huh?”

“One day. Find out who the person in the photo is.” Shen Xiao’s thin lips were pressed tightly together, his sharp eyes terrifyingly intense, a stark contrast to his usual demeanor.

The originally agreed-upon three days had suddenly been shortened to one. Noting Shen Xiao’s expression, Cheng Youyi realized he was genuinely furious and didn’t dare joke further, quietly assigning the task to his subordinates.

After hanging up the phone, An Xiangdi took a few deep breaths in front of the mirror, ensuring his expression wasn’t too unpleasant, before returning to the private room. However, he found the atmosphere had completely shifted.

With the matter already trending, Shen Xiao had likely learned the full story.

Sitting down silently, An Xiangdi placed his phone face down on the table and stabbed at the remaining piece of steak as if it were Li Guan, mangling it beyond recognition.

“Are you full?” Shen Xiao’s voice broke the silence.

“Yeah.” Even if he weren’t, he had no appetite left.

Shen Xiao stood up. “We’ll head out first.”

“Alright, Brother Shen, I’ll cover the bill!” Seeing both of them in low spirits, Cheng Youyi took the initiative to pay. After all, he had freeloaded a few meals off Shen Xiao while abroad.

Shen Xiao gave a curt “Mm,” then took An Xiangdi’s wrist and led him out of the restaurant.

The two walked in silence along the dimly lit alley back to the hotel. Unable to bear the oppressive atmosphere, An Xiangdi fixed his gaze on the few moths fluttering around the shabby streetlights until a hand covered his eyes.

“Keep staring like that and your eyes will go blurry.” Shen Xiao’s palm was warm.

An Xiangdi pursed his lips, then after a moment, gently pushed his hand away. “You know.”

“Yeah.”

“Surprising. You’re not trying to persuade me today.” An Xiangdi found it rather unusual. In the past, such matters would have led to a two- or three-day cooling-off period between them over the issue of changing agencies.

“If I tried, would you listen?” Shen Xiao’s tone was calm.

But An Xiangdi detected a hint of resentment. “Last time, I told you I’d terminate the contract. Now I’ve changed my mind.”

Shen Xiao’s lips tightened, his expression clearly displeased.

An Xiangdi’s expression remained unchanged, but inwardly, he was laughing uncontrollably. He leaned close to Shen Xiao’s ear. “I want to terminate the contract without spending a single cent and make them kneel down and apologize to me.”

“I can make them kneel and apologize to you right now.” Shen Xiao’s previously tense expression had softened, but his words were overwhelmingly domineering.

Now it was An Xiangdi’s turn to be surprised. He stared at Shen Xiao for a long moment before breaking into a laugh. “What kind of overbearing CEO line is that?””

“If you think so, then it is.” Shen Xiao didn’t mind playing the role of an overbearing CEO for once.

“Arrogant jerk.” An Xiangdi couldn’t resist teasing him.

Shen Xiao gripped his pale wrist, pinned him against the wall, and buried his face in the other’s scent gland, giving it a gentle bite. A faint, clean sweetness lingered on his tongue. “Let me know when it’s handled.”

“Got it.” An Xiangdi’s entire body went weak the moment his scent gland was touched.

The next day, An Xiangdi finished recording the second episode of The Stage and took a car back to Zongming City.

Given An Xiangdi’s usual temper, having a script accepted and a role assigned without his consent especially by a director he despised should have led him straight to the company to give Li Guan a hard time. Yet, An Xiangdi did nothing. Despite the online uproar, he stayed quietly at home for three days.

Not only was Xiao Gu puzzled, but Li Guan was also unsettled. If An Xiangdi had confronted him, it would have been easier to handle. The lack of confrontation left Li Guan unable to sleep or eat properly.

By the fourth day, Li Guan couldn’t hold back any longer and called An Xiangdi directly.

“Hey, I accepted a TV drama for you with Director Qiu.” Li Guan, afraid An Xiangdi might be unaware, laid it out bluntly.

“Where’s the script?” An Xiangdi lay on a chaise lounge, a glass of freshly squeezed juice beside him.

If they were by the seaside, he would have looked completely at ease, as if on vacation.

“Huh?” Li Guan was caught off guard by the question.

“The script. Aren’t I supposed to act in it? How can I act without a script?” An Xiangdi put the call on speaker, tossed his phone aside, and turned on the Bluetooth speaker, filling the room with piano music.

“I’ll send the script to your email tonight.”

“Fine. Anything else?”

“Yes, yes! Director Qiu has arranged a dinner with all the main cast a week from now. I’ll send you the address later.”

“Okay, that’s all?”

Li Guan doubted his own ears, pulling the phone away from his ear several times. He double-checked with An Xiangdi, only to confirm that the other had indeed agreed.

When the call ended, An Xiangdi let out a derisive laugh. He could easily imagine the expression on that fool Li Guan’s face probably more pained than if he’d swallowed a fly.

Over the next few days, An Xiangdi appeared at the company as usual, busy with preparations for his new song release. Coincidentally, Li Guan was away with Zhao Zeyun for a public appearance, so the two didn’t cross paths.

On the day of the dinner, Xiao Gu drove An Xiangdi to the restaurant alone.

“An Laoshi.” Xiao Gu had grown increasingly confused by An Xiangdi’s behavior over the past few days, especially today. It was clear he had dressed up deliberately, wearing a brand-new dark green suit with an exquisitely expensive-looking silver pen tucked into his chest pocket.

But more than confusion, Xiao Gu was worried something might go wrong.

“An Laoshi?” Not receiving a response, Xiao Gu called out again, a bit impatiently.

“What is it?” An Xiangdi looked up.

Xiao Gu hesitated, then gritted his teeth and asked, “An Laoshi, does Shen Laoshi know about your dinner with Director Qiu?”

“No.” An Xiangdi hadn’t told Shen Xiao, who was currently working abroad.

“Then! Then what if something happens? How am I supposed to explain it to Shen Laoshi?” Xiao Gu grew anxious, seriously considering turning the car around and heading back.

“It’s just a dinner. And.” An Xiangdi paused briefly, “whether I come out on the losing end is up to me.”

Xiao Gu was taken aback. He glanced at An Xiangdi through the rearview mirror again, sensing something unusual, but in the next moment, the impression vanished.

Qiu Chengding had chosen an upscale club in Zongming City as the venue for the meal. On the surface, it operated as a restaurant, but behind the scenes, it also offered escort services.

Whether the other actors were aware of this, An Xiangdi didn’t know, but he was crystal clear. Shortly after Li Guan took over as his manager, he had been pressured to accompany investors at such a place a situation that ended with him pouring an entire bottle of liquor over the other party’s head.

When An Xiangdi arrived at the Lotus Hall, he saw the two lead actors seated on either side of Qiu Cheng, chatting with beaming smiles.

“Well, if it isn’t our Xiangdi?” Qiu Cheng stood up, his large belly protruding, and reached out to pull An Xiangdi closer.

An Xiangdi deftly avoided the gesture and took the seat appropriate for the fifth-billed actor. “You flatter me, Director Qiu. I’ve heard you’ve been eager to collaborate with me. What a coincidence I’ve been wanting to work with you again too. After all, our last collaboration wasn’t exactly a success.”

“Director Qiu, you know Teacher An?”

“How impressive! I’m a fan of Teacher An. I had no idea you had such extensive connections, Director Qiu!”

The two rookie leads, one after another, lavished praise on both An Xiangdi and Qiu Cheng.

An Xiangdi didn’t find them clever only pitiable. To navigate the murky waters of the entertainment industry, they had to master the art of flattering everyone they met.

Qiu Cheng’s smile was strained. If An Xiangdi hadn’t brought up their previous collaboration, it would have been fine, but the mention of it sent a shiver down his spine.

An Xiangdi took a subtle sip of water.

Qiu Cheng was a terrible director, lustful and greedy for money. Despite being married for over a decade, he slept around with young celebrities. Still, he had been in the industry for a long time and genuinely had extensive connections, along with plenty of decent resources.

Many inexperienced young artists easily fell into his trap. Though they might initially gain a few opportunities, they were inevitably taken advantage of by Qiu Cheng. With a couple of threats, they were silenced, too afraid to speak out.

An Xiangdi had first encountered Qiu Cheng on a film set a year after entering the industry. Qiu Cheng had approached him directly with a fairly good script.

Initially, An Xiangdi had considered collaborating because of the script, but Qiu Cheng had overstepped boundaries from the start, making unwelcome advances. An Xiangdi hadn’t held back in front of the entire crew of over a hundred people, he had dislocated Qiu Cheng’s arm.

The incident had caused an uproar in the industry. Rumor had it that Qiu Cheng, fearing loss of face, had called in numerous favors to suppress the matter. Otherwise, it would have made headlines.

Now, recalling these events, An Xiangdi felt his fingers itch, while Qiu Cheng could only feel a phantom ache in his arm.

Clutching his arm, Qiu Cheng thought of all the humiliation he had endured over the years. With such a tantalizing prize right before his eyes, he refused to give up.

Before long, the actors playing the second male and female leads arrived. After some polite exchanges, the dinner officially began.

Meanwhile, Shen Xiao, thousands of kilometers away, received a message from Cheng Youyi.

First-Gen Rich: Brother Shen, your wife went to have a meal with Qiu Cheng.

First-Gen Rich: It’s a Hongmen Banquet~

First-Gen Rich: Aren’t you worried?

Shen Xiao: Shut up and do your job.

First-Gen Rich:

First-Gen Rich: Brother Shen, you should treat me better!

First-Gen Rich: You asked me to dig up info on that little omega Zhao Zeyun in a day, and I did it.

First-Gen Rich: You told me to secure those shares, and I did that too.

First-Gen Rich: Even a beast of burden isn’t worked as hard as I am!

First-Gen Rich: I actually had something else to tell you.

First-Gen Rich: But now! This young master isn’t saying a word!

Shen Xiao: Speak properly.

First-Gen Rich:

First-generation rich: Keep an ear out for sister in law’s new song demo.

Shen Xiao’s eyes were fixed on these words, while his other phone played the voice of his manager Hua Jiang detailing tomorrow’s schedule. He didn’t register a single word of it.